VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] middleofsomewhere2021-01-11 05:58 am

Fierce New World- Mission Start!

"Good Morning passengers. Today is day six of the month of Jelly." The voice echoes through the train as passengers wake up in their beds. Not long afterwards their SCA’s glow with the colour of the void and a holographic image will appear.

Preparation and Arrival

They have a short time to prepare for their mission, enough time to read their briefs, make decisions, meet in their teams and gather anything they may need.

A few hours later there is another announcement. "Shortly arriving on System #2207385. All passengers get ready to disembark. Next stop world #2207385. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

The train judders as it leaves the void, the colours from the windows turn into the blackness of space but quickly white as the train descends into the entrance of the biosphere.

The doors of the train open and passengers can enter the large white-walled holding bay. Currently, they are the only vehicle inside. There are four large doors around the bay each labelled with where they lead. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

The doors open easily, and their SCA’s show a basic route, though the non-linear nature of the sectors mean that obstacles will need to be navigated. While they are in a closed world, there is a day and night cycle: the panels far up above are designed to make it seem like there is a natural sky, brightening and dimming every ten hours.

Red/Summer

Empty Streets

Wide streets divide sealed-off factories and manufacturing pods that tower up towards the ‘sky’. It is hot here, though the fumes from the factories are vented out, leaving the air breathable if overly warm.

Sometimes the pods are not yet finished, empty shells that can be sheltered in. There are also stations for living, with plumbing and basic amenities scattered through the sector. Places to rest as they move towards the center and the Great-Summer that they seek.

Helpmates

Where factories are still being built they will find Helpmates, operating machinery or moving materials.

They will not pause in their tasks for long but are programmed to answer questions so can be drawn into a conversation. Or, if the Voidtreckers are unfortunate, they will find those that are malfunctioning turning on them as they approach.

They aren’t too difficult to fight, but can do some damage with the machinery if they manage to take a Voidtrecker by surprise. They can be fought with weapons or magic, or for those that think to use the panels they can be shut down outright.

Wild Weather

Though warm, the corridors remain a constant temperature that is not too unpleasant for people. For the most part. Unfortunately, due to the malfunctioning state of things routes may become impassable. Boiling air, freezing blasts, electricity crackling across a pathway.

Their SCA’s do a good job of warning them, allowing them to change direction or shelter in nearby buildings.

Purple/Autumn

Exploring

The Autumn sector is the least complete of the sectors, with shells of habitation pods and not much else. No one is expected to live here until nearing the end of construction, and so the pods are unfurnished, many missing doors, some missing internal walls.

Outside the streets are wide and clearly made to be pleasant to walk on; it is airy, bright and spacious, if a bit eerie due to the quiet.

There are panels on the walls, to call Helpmates to appear. Here they are primarily for helping citizens, giving directions and offering aid.

Malfunctions

Since there are more helpmates there is more risk of them malfunctioning. They attack with or without weapons, using any tools they can pick up to attack. They can be fought with weapons or magic, or for those that think to use the panels they can be shut down.

They won’t chase people into the houses, their privacy programming preventing them from doing so.

Turned Around

The roads seem simple, built in a grid pattern around the houses. However, whatever is going wrong here is affecting the very streets themselves. Sometimes there will be a wall where there wasn’t before or roads go in circles. Sometimes they find themselves at a dead end, trapped until structures shift again.

Their SCA’s do their best to keep up but it can take a while for them to reroute and by the time they do, that path might be blocked too!

Blue/Spring

Patchwork Forest

The Spring sector houses the hydroponics and pastoral sections. It alternates between grazing land and more heavily forested areas with rows of pine-like trees in a checkerboard pattern, with empty plots interspersed. Walkways divide each square, but all squares appear able to move about as required, as though on a conveyor system.

There are clear walkways to avoid stepping on any newly growing plants. In the grazing land live flocks of camelid creatures resembling alpacas with blueish wool, on average a metre and a half tall at the shoulders. Helpmates appear here as if on a timer to feed the animals and tend to plants.

Destruction


If the Helpmates here malfunction they attack anyone nearby, cause havoc to any farming equipment and frightening the animals.

They can be fought with weapons or magic, or for those that think to use the panels they can be shut down. The panels here are less obvious than they are in the more urban sectors, low to the ground, looking almost like energy panels. But once they know what to look for they will be able to use them to shut down the Helpmates.

Stampede

Frightened animals are likely to flee and unfortunately in this case it means rampaging across the grazing land to the newly growing trees.

They will need to be calmed, returned to their grazing lands and the plants restored. Or it might be that the Voidtreckers can stop the Helpmates before the creatures get too spooked.

Orange/Winter

Exploring

The Winter sector’s primary concern is life support. Huge banks of air scrubbers form artificial cliffs, while other sections are tanks filled with water in varying stages of processing or recycling.

The paths here are a lot narrower than they are in other areas, sometimes requiring moving between pipes or scrambling over layers of railing.

There doesn’t seem to be any easy or straightforward path through the sector, their SCA takes them on wild winding routes through the machinery.

Help or Hindrance

The fluctuating temperatures here are causing problems with many of the pipes, several sections are flooded, others are in danger of being so.

There are patch kits in easily opened panels, designed to be used by the helpmates and indeed there are many helpmates out.

But some are less helpful, those that are malfunctioning are more likely to cause more damage than they are there to fix. They will attack any one who tries to interfere with them. They can be fought with weapons or magic, or for those that think to use the panels they can be shut down.

Patch Job

Once the malfunctioning Helpmates are dealt with the pipes still need to be fixed. The patch kits do not have any instructions but are simple enough that anyone with a basic knowledge of how to fix things should be able to figure them out- though the more knowledge and expertise they have the better the fix!

For those that don’t, many of the jobs will need more than one person and so for those that don’t mind taking instructions they will find an extra pair of hands is always welcome.
namethattune: (Lost in my train of thoughts)

[personal profile] namethattune 2021-01-23 05:33 am (UTC)(link)
Siebren keeps an eye on the floating helpmates. They don't seem terribly aggressive to him - mostly befuddled. Then again, a sudden shift in one's gravity will do that to a person.

"Siebren de Kuiper," he says in reply. "A pleasure, though I think we would have both preferred better circumstances." A beat - he needs to ask. "This batch do not seem particularly hostile - do you know why they were attacking you?"
firewalled: (Mayday)

[personal profile] firewalled 2021-01-23 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, that's for sure..." Rich repeats the name to himself under his breath a few times. It's a strange one to him, so he wants to be sure he doesn't forget it, though the question quickly distracts them.

"I'm not sure... I just thought they were glitching out, but like, maybe they just know I'm not a big fan of 'em." That would be just his luck, attracting robots to him despite how much he can't stand them. "Or maybe they know I've got hardware myself and wanna scrap me for parts."
namethattune: (I was left to my own devices)

[personal profile] namethattune 2021-01-23 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)
His name throws lots of people for a loop. It's not the first time someone has had trouble with it, and it won't be the last.

"Like cats, finding the one person in the room who is allergic." He doesn't know if this AI network is intelligent enough to have a sense of humor, but he wouldn't be surprised either way. "Regardless, I will not allow them to harm you."

He moves away from Rich, approaching where the Helpmates are floating, and lowers them closer to the ground, addressing the frontmost one. "We are here to assist. If I release you, will you leave us be?"
firewalled: (I'm unable to go back)

[personal profile] firewalled 2021-01-24 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
"I... appreciate that. I really wish you didn't have to worry over me, but..." Getting down on himself probably isn't going to help, so he just moves to start smoothing a patch over the pipe, while Siebren addresses the Helpmates. He wonders if they're smart enough to respond...
namethattune: (Lost in my train of thoughts)

[personal profile] namethattune 2021-01-25 06:50 am (UTC)(link)
"I would do the same for any teammate." That's the point of a shield tank, after all.

The frontmost helpmate nods in reply, and Siebren gives it a hard look before lowering them to the ground and releasing his hold on their gravity. "Then disperse." He watches as the helpmates turn and walk away, scattering amongst the pipes...except for tho, which remain, moving erratically and looking at him.

Two is better than a horde, he supposes.

He summons his hyperspheres to his hand. "Be on your guard."
firewalled: (Slowly lapsing in depravity)

[personal profile] firewalled 2021-01-26 07:33 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah. I guess so..." Rich hasn't really been on a team before, so he's still thinking he might be a burden. At least he does seem to get the patch on properly, before Siebren calls to get his attention. He turns back towards the helpmates, who keep tilting their heads, staring at him with uncomfortably familiar blank eyes.

"What... what are they looking at?" He tries not to sound accusatory, but he likely fails.
namethattune: (The opposite of falling)

[personal profile] namethattune 2021-01-27 06:46 am (UTC)(link)
"Us, I believe. They seem to be malfunctioning." These aren't the first malfunctioning helpmates he's run into so far, and the way things are going, he's fairly certain they won't be the last.

"Search for their panel - they can be reactivated from there. I will hold their attention." He fires his hyperspheres, aiming them to impact on the ground near the helpmates - not close enough to damage, but definitely close enough to make the wayward holograms pay attention.
firewalled: (Making peace with the enevmy)

[personal profile] firewalled 2021-01-28 03:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"I-I'll take a look!" Rich bolts over for the panel while the helpmates appear to be distracted by... whatever strange powers this teammate of his has. He tugs it open, scanning it for a reset button. He's not exactly an expert, but kids his age who have grown up with tech usually know who to work it pretty intuitively. After hitting a couple buttons, he looks over.

"That do anything?"